1087. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the supports, training, and resources that will be provided to ensure that any new assessment responsibilities do not exacerbate already unsustainable workload levels in schools, as highlighted in recent research on teacher burnout; and if she will make a statement on t…
Parliamentary questions
Questions
TDs ask ministers questions to get answers on the record, most of them in writing. Here is every one asked in the 34th Dáil, by the department it went to and the subject heading it was filed under. How questions work
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Showing questions asked by Paul Lawless .
204 questions match, newest first.
1088. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, the reason removal of diagnostic requirements was announced without consultation with teachers, unions, or parents; how her Department intends to restore trust and ensure transparency in future policymaking; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74490/25]
1089. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, if the designation of special classes and special schools is being altered or dismantled as part of this policy change; if not, the reason this was not made clear at the time of announcement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74491/25]
1090. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, to provide a timeline for the publication of the full framework governing access to special classes and schools, to commit to halting implementation until robust consultation with educators and stakeholders has taken place; and if she will make a statement on the matter…
1091. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth further to the Government’s announced reforms to the assessment of need process, whether she accepts that diagnostic reports are not merely bureaucratic hurdles but essential tools for children’s self-understanding and for evidence-based teaching; and the way in which her Department intends to safeguard these rights under the new system; and if she …
1102. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if an appeal (details supplied) will be reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74544/25]
1103. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if an existing route and capacity (details supplied) will be reviewed to determine whether adjustments can be made to accommodate additional families wishing to avail of the service. [74545/25]
1104. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth to facilitate a meeting with the management of a school bus service (details supplied) [74546/25]
1105. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the steps her Department will take to ensure timely and transparent responses to future school bus service enquiries from parents, schools, and public offices in County Mayo. [74547/25]
1106. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the average timeframe for responding to enquiries regarding school bus services for County Mayo; and the reason this exceeds standard expectations. [74548/25]
1107. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason her Department has failed to respond to official and public enquiries received over the past three months regarding the provision, scheduling, and safety of school bus services in County Mayo. [74549/25]
1111. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in County Mayo currently registered to start school in September 2026 that are seeking a special school place; seeking a special class/unit place; or expected to attend a mainstream school with SNA support; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74579/25]
1112. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the statutory role and duties of a Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), including how decision making and accountability operate in practice; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74580/25]
1113. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth if she will provide data on the current capacity of special schools and special classes in County Mayo; and the projected demand for September 2026; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74581/25]
1114. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of children in County Mayo with a formal autism diagnosis currently supported in mainstream schools with SNA provision; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74582/25]
1134. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) in County Mayo was restricted to 100 student's enrolment for September 2025 when they had capacity to take 144 students. [74798/25]
1135. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the reason a school (details supplied) in County Mayo does not provide wood work or metal work classes in an all boys school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [74799/25]
1225. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the total number of primary and post-primary teachers who engaged in Department-funded continuous professional development in each of the past five years; the breakdown of those figures, by primary and post-primary level, continuous professional development undertaken within the additional in-school hours provided for under public service agreements…
1226. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of teachers, in each of the past five years, who have undertaken continuous professional development specifically related to supporting pupils with additional and special educational needs, including autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyspraxia and dyslexia; the breakdown by category of need, by primary and post-primary level, and by hours o…
1227. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the assessments that have been carried out by her Department of teachers' capacity to engage in continuous professional development during the school year; whether any analysis has been conducted on barriers to participation, including substitution cover, timetable pressures and workload; whether any reports arising from such assessments will be pub…
1228. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the number of hours of the additional in-school time provided for under public service agreements were used nationally for continuous professional development in each of the past three school years; the proportion of this time that was allocated to training in special educational needs, student wellbeing and behavioural or emotional support, and sub…
1229. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the continuous professional development currently provided to support teachers in managing increasingly complex classrooms, including cultural and linguistic diversity, mixed-ability teaching, trauma-informed practice and behavioural support; the number of teachers who have participated in such training in each of the past three years; whether she c…
1230. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has conducted a national survey, audit or questionnaire of schools and principals to assess teachers' professional development needs, capacity to access continuous professional development and priority training areas; if not, whether she will commit to establishing a formal needs-assessment process; the proposed timeframe for …
1231. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth the mechanisms in place to measure the effectiveness and outcomes of Department-funded continuous professional development; whether data is collected on the impact of such training on classroom practice and student outcomes, particularly for pupils with additional and special educational needs; the details of any evaluations carried out in the past …
1232. Deputy Paul Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Youth whether her Department has set participation targets or benchmarks for teacher engagement in continuous professional development; if so, to outline those targets; if not, whether she will commit to establishing national benchmarks, particularly in the areas of special educational needs, behavioural support and wellbeing; and if she will make a state…